101 things to do on a beach

Locals enjoying the sunrise

What can you do when you are surrounded by the beautiful turquoise Caribbean Sea?

Start your day with the sunrise, or maybe you are headed to bed after being out all night dancing. After all, it's Mexico and the parties last until dawn.

The sunrises here are usually spectacular unless it happens to be one of those rare cloudy days, and even then, the sun might give you a multi-coloured light show as the glowing orb clears the horizon before disappearing into the clouds.

Enjoying the beach before the crowds arrive 

Go for a walk on the beach while enjoying your morning coffee, smoothie, or whatever other beverage you want to start your day with. 

While you are out enjoying the early morning calm, you might see the beach cleaning crew raking the sand, sifting for discarded cigarette butts and bottle caps, picking up trash and removing potentially dangerous overhead coconuts. 

If you happen to have an extra bottle of water with you, pass it along. These folks start work at sunrise to make the beaches clean and tidy for the next round of sun-worshipers.

Coconut removal crew 

Get your towel, sunscreen, sunglasses, a bit of money for food and drinks, and don’t forget your reading material. 

May I recommend some enjoyable beach reads? My Isla Mujeres Mystery novels are entertaining mysteries set on this fabulous little island. Murder and mayhem. Revenge and romance.

Head to the beach and claim your favourite spot.

Order lunch from one of the many beachside restaurants and bars. 

The wait-staff with happily deliver it to you. Don’t forget to tip, but please no foreign coins, including American or Canadian. Coins are only valuable in their country of origin. 

Find your favourite spot

For instance, American coins are only good in the USA, and occasionally in Canada and then only at face value. Canadian coins are only good in Canada; Americans will not accept them. 

Euros are only good in Europe; Americans and Canadians don’t accept them. 

Okay, you get the idea. Using the currency of the country you are in is always the easiest solution.

Great place to people-watch 

People watch to your heart’s content. 

There are beaches for sunning and swimming, beaches where fishermen repair their nets, clean and sell their daily catch, beaches for surf-casting, beaches to investigate the under-water inhabitants, and beaches where on windy days the enthusiasts for kitesurfing, bodysurfing and regular surfing play in the warm waves.

Windy day - surfs up

Then wrap up your day with a long leisurely dinner at a beachside restaurant while watching the sun sink into the ocean. 

If you are lucky, you will get another vibrant display, the kind that we refer to as a “Tony Garcia Sunset.” 

Captain Tony seems to have a natural instinct for when the light, clouds and atmospheric conditions are optimum for producing the best technicolour displays.

The peaceful beauty of a tropical sunset

Okay, so not exactly 101 ideas, but we’ll leave you to come up with your own plans as you enjoy the white sand, the turquoise ocean, and the clear blue sky.

Hasta Luego, Lynda, Lawrie, Sparky, and Max

           Isla Mujeres Mystery series! 
                    Available as e-books, paperbacks, and hardcovers.

Tropical Storm/Hurricane Nate – gave us a pass

Boarding up for TS Nate.  

Normally a bit of rough weather doesn’t bother us. We’re Canadian and have experienced snowy blizzards and drenching rainstorms. But I confess I’m not a fan of tropical storms teetering on the edge of being classified as a hurricane.

I don’t mind wind, but I really don’t like the high velocity winds of a tormenta. Sadly, though, when this recent storm, TS Nate, blasted over the mountainous countries of Costa Rica and Nicaragua, it was the excessive rainfall that caused the deaths of twenty-two people.

Since we live at the edge of the ocean and TS Nate was forecast to pass directly over this flat, little sandbar of an island, we obsessively clicked on the NOAA site and several internet weather channels, checking predicted rainfall, storm surge, and wind speeds.

On Wednesday, it was clear we were going to get hit.

By Thursday morning, we had dragged everything inside our little casa: two sun loungers, a small sofa and two chairs, glass-topped tables, stacks of big cushions for the two larger sofas, and anything small enough to become an airborne hazard. 

We tied down garden hoses to prevent them from whipping around in the wind, and pushed plant pots into tight huddles. 

I made up a couple of dozen sandbags to block the rain from entering under our doors, especially our bedroom door, which has an outside entrance onto an open deck.

New house a bit north of ours is boarded up.

We had extra bottles of water, gas in the golf cart, easy-to-prepare food for us and the pets, and cash in case the power was off for a few days, making ATM’s useless. (By now, we are feeling like the characters in the novel that I am writing, Tormenta Isla, who had to do all the same prep work!)

Then, exactly as our friends Tony Garcia and Isauro Martinez described, many boat owners prepared for the storm/hurricane by moving their vessels deep into Laguna Makax. The Caribe line of passenger boats from Cozumel brought their three good-sized vessels to Isla and docked them at the municipal wharf next to the car ferry. Presumably, that dock is more sheltered than the ones at Cozumel. Even the car ferry and the Ultramar passenger ferries shut down early.

Caribe Ferry, normally located in Cozumel

It was an eerie feeling driving along the island’s shoreline, which normally bustles with boats, islanders, and tourists. Every public or private wharf from Velasquez Restaurante, near the north end of the island, to the car ferry was empty, and all of the oceanfront restaurants were closed. Every tour, pleasure, or work boat had been moved to Laguna Makax, or dragged high up on the beach and securely tied to nearby palm trees.

Hotel shuttered on the main floor

Many businesses were closed so that their staff would be safe at home before the Friday afternoon arrival of the storm. Doors and windows were covered by pieces of wood or cortinas, the accordion-style hurricane shutters.

A light rain damped the streets, and we decided it was time to hunker down with our pets and a good bottle of wine. We read. We sipped wine. We waited, and we checked the internet. The predicted rainfall was for around 95mm or 4 inches, although TS Nate had dumped 510 mm or about 20 inches of rain on Central America. The wind speed was predicted to reach a Category 1 Hurricane of 120 kilometers per hour, about 74 miles an hour.

Wharf at Bally Hoo, empty, restaurant closed.

The afternoon turned into evening, and still no rain or wind. 

Then, remarkably, we fell asleep for two hours. I usually lie awake during storms listening to the sounds of the house: the rattle of the screen on our windows, the creak of the patio doors as the wind pushes against them, and the banging of something not tightly secured.

At ten in the evening, both Lawrie and I woke up to silence. No wind. No rain. Nothing. We checked the internet. The storm, now Hurricane Nate, had moved about ten miles east, closer to Cuba. It had passed by us. That was a big relief to everyone. Facebook pages were soon littered with jokes about the overreaction and the huge amount of prep work for a non-event.

M&J's buttoned up for TS Nate

But as one of our friends said:

“They just don’t understand what it feels like to lose everything and not have insurance. To have your only vehicle damaged, whether it was a moto or an old car, it was still your only transportation. To worry about the lives of your family, your friends, and yourself. To step out of your home and see the damage done to your community and know that it could be days or weeks before everything is back to some type of normal. In the meantime, people scramble to make a living and to feed their children. It’s difficult, very difficult. So what if we over-prepared? Better that than homeless.”

We’d happily do the same preparations again, especially if it works as a lucky charm and keeps the tormenta away. 

Although it seems that when our nearby neighbours, Rob and Julie Goth, board over their small windows, the ones without the cortinas, we are guaranteed to get a pass from the hurricane.

We’re back to sunny and hot weather and waiting on the return of our various Canadian, American, and European neighbours for the busy October to April social season. There goes the diet!

Cheers from paradise

Lynda, Lawrie, Sparky, and Max

 ~

Tormenta Isla Book #3

 Isla Mujeres Mystery Series

Available in online book stores

Local knowledge - an author’s best resource

We love living in a small community. The people are friendly and willing to share their insider knowledge. 

A few days ago, while I was working on Tormenta Isla book #3 of the Isla Mujeres Mystery series, I was stuck for an answer.

I popped a message to two of my island friends, Tony Garcia and Isauro Martinez. Within minutes, both guys had responded with oodles of intriguing information. How great is that? 

Captain Tony Garcia

Captain Tony Garcia is a well-known wedding, special-occasion, and island-ambiance photographer. 

He is also a tour boat captain, and judging by the photos on his Facebook page, he’s a terrific chef.

Isauro Martinez is the affable and always smiling owner of Indio’s golf cart rentals. 

Indio was his dad’s nickname, and he is Apache. He always has fun stories to tell about growing up on the island.

Isauro Martinez Indio Golf Cart Rentals

And then there is Freddy Medina, who has been a good friend since we moved to the island. 

In the first novel of the series, Treasure Isla Book, I had one of my main characters, Yasmin Medina, jokingly name the crocodile that lives at the Hacienda Mundaca Park after her fictional cousin Freddy. 

The real Freddy owns the El Arrecife Bar in Centro. He and his five sisters have been a fabulous source of island information and personal stories, especially for our weekly blogs.

Freddy, Yadira after the Elmo Christmas parade

Many other islanders and ex-pats have big-heartedly answered questions, contributed bits of information, and recounted funny anecdotes. 

It’s all part of the island colour that I try to bring alive in the novels.

My recent questions went something like this:

What happens to the car ferry during a hurricane?  “It normally is used as a breakwater across Laguna Makax to prevent big waves from destroying all the smaller boats stored in the lagoon.”

Chatting while cleaning the day's catch. 

Is the lagoon jammed with boats by the time everyone gets their vessel inside the area?   “They are tight around the edges but not in the center. The center is muddy, and if you drop anchor there, the boat will move. Berthed at a marina or tied to the trees is much better.”

What’s the name of the bit of water between Puerto Juarez and Isla Mujeres? “Bahía de Mujeres.”

Morning group - I gave them a copy of this pic.

You just can’t get that type of information from the internet. (Okay, maybe I could have eventually found the name of the bay on Google.)  

Why does most of my information come from men and not women? Maybe because the guys like to gossip, to chat, to chew the fat? 

I don't know.  What do you think?

Cheers, Lynda, Lawrie, Sparky, and Max

Isla Mujeres Mystery Lynda L Lock

Death in the Vineyards Lynda L Lock

Available in online book stores!

Grab your copy today!

5.0 out of 5 sta

The Caribbean blue will leave you breathless!

View toward Manchones Reef and Cancun.  

Giant sea turtles, dolphins, rays, whale sharks, and exotic fish of every description swimming in sapphire-blue water; that’s the main attraction to Isla Mujeres. 

You can swim, snorkel, scuba, or, if you are experienced, free-dive like the locals. 

MUSA - Glass-bottom boat, Cancun

A unique subaquatic site is the MUSA, Museo Subacuático de Arte, an underwater museum situated on Manchones Reef between Cancun and Isla Mujeres. The MUSA was started in 2009 in an attempt to divert divers away from the over-visited natural reefs. The project currently has over 500 concrete statues that were lowered to the ocean floor by ship-mounted cranes.

MUSA Manchones Reef - X-treme Sports

The MUSA is within easy diving depths and reasonably visible to surface snorkelers, or via the glass-bottom boat tours operating out of Cancun and Isla Mujeres. The underwater statues feature unnervingly realistic houses, furniture, cars, pets, and people, fabricated out of porous concrete that encourages aquatic plant growth and provides a friendly habitat for a wide assortment of sea creatures and fish. 

Turtle, Punta Sur, Captain Tony Garcia 

Another great diving location is just off Punta Sur, or south point, near the Garrafon Natural Reef Park. 

There is usually an abundance of sea turtles and barracudas passing through. A number of our friends drift dive in this area. 

But watch out for the strong currents!

Diving on a wreck - Seahawk Divers

Or if you are interested, there are shipwrecks to explore. Who knows, you may find a galleon from the era of Francisco Fernandez de Cordoba, the Spanish captain who discovered Isla Mujeres in 1517. 

Or perhaps you’ll come across a corsair that could have belonged to pirates such as the Lafitte brothers, Laurens Cornelis Boudewijn de Graaf, or Fermin Mundaca.

Beautiful fish, Kara Stansfield photo

Along the eastern side of the island is the Great Maya Barrier Reef, the second-longest reef in the world. 

It runs right past our house all the way to Belize and is very accessible for scuba diving or snorkeling.

There are a few other secret gems, like the cave of the sleeping sharks and the mysterious hidden cave.

We’re not divers and haven’t seen the caves, so even if we were bribed with muchas cervezas frías or a copa de vino tinto, we still couldn’t divulge the locations, but we know a few people who could …..

Group heading out to scuba dive - L Lock photo

Just ask any one of these folks:

Seahawk Divers: http://www.seahawkislamujeres.com/

Captain Tony Garcia: https://www.facebook.com/CapitanTonys

Mundaca Divers: http://mundacadiversislamujeres.com/

Carey Dive Center: http://www.careydivecenter.com/

Aqua Adventures: http://diveislamujeres.com/

Casa del Buceo: http://www.casadelbuceo.com/

Squalo Adventures: https://squaloadventures.com/

Hyperbaric chamber Isla Mujeres, in Centro

If the worst happens and you experience decompression sickness, the bends, when resurfacing, Isla has its own hyperbaric chamber to help with your recovery. 

Primarily used to rehabilitate deep-diving lobster fishermen, it is also used to promote healing of leg ulcers in diabetic patients or speed up the repair of badly fractured bones.

On a humorous side note, apparently Hollywood A-Listers have discovered the wrinkle-reduction benefits of time spent in a hyperbaric chamber.

So, now you can explore our watery underworld and get a facelift all in one vacation.

Cheers

Lynda, Lawrie, Sparky, and Max

~ 

Isla Mujeres Mystery series

Meanwhile back on Isla Mujeres Mexico…

 

Dinner at Rolandi's Isla Mujeres.

We’ve been away from our little beach house on Isla Mujeres a lot lately.  

First, we spent three weeks wine-touring in Argentina, returning mid-March, and then we were off again for a week to John and Maia’s wedding in British Columbia, Canada

Sparky, our almost-famous rescue dog, is still miffed at us for disappearing not once, but twice this year. He had two fabulous sets of babysitters while we were traveling, but now that we are back, he’s demanding a lot of attention.   

In mid-February to early March, the weather in Argentina was warm, much like Mexico, as it was late summer going into early autumn.

  

Sparky lying on my lap when we returned home 

British Columbia, Canada, on the other hand, in late March, was cold, damp, and chilly as the temperature struggled to rise above 10 °C (about 50 °F). We’re not accustomed to the low temperatures anymore! 

Sunset in March on Isla Mujeres

While island friends tortured us with Facebook photos of beautiful, sunny weather, we bitched and complained about being cold. 

Our discomfort was partly our own fault for not purchasing the necessary items to bundle up and stay warm. 

Lawrie wore sandals the entire time, except for the formal part of the wedding ceremony. 

He was unable to convince his feet that they should be stuffed into stiff, unyielding shoes. I kicked off my shoes at the wedding once the dinner was served. What a pair of beach-bums we have become.

Lawrie the MC at John and Maia's wedding

With only two days of sunshine among the fog, rain, and drizzle, John and Maia got lucky for their special day. Sunshine!  And a week later, the day before we left was also sunny and slightly warmer.  

Everywhere we went, people were hidden under cozy jackets, scarves, and hats. One restaurant provided fake-fur wraps to patrons who wanted to eat outside on their patio. 

At the end of the day, photographers gathered along the ocean shoreline, snapping pictures of the spectacular sunset similar to the eye-popping colours of an Isla Mujeres sundown. 

Fake-fur wraps for the outside patio

Meanwhile, back on Isla Mujeres, the temperatures were flirting with the lower thirties Celsius (mid to high eighties Fahrenheit). Hot, sunny, and breezy! 

Now we know what it feels like when we torture our northern friends with pictures of people wearing shorts and bathing suits in February. 

Doesn’t mean we will stop tormenting you; it just means we can empathize a tiny little bit…maybe, until we forget what it was like.

Lawrie - happy to be back on Isla

And as a last ‘gotcha’, our Air Canada flight from Vancouver to Cancun did not have heat inside the aircraft. 

Cold! Oh, my goodness, at the end of the five and a half hours, we were darn near frozen solid. When the doors opened on the aircraft, we were happy to be back in the land of warmth and sunshine.

Despite the chilly weather, we wouldn’t have missed John and Maia’s wedding for anything.  

John & Maia. We wish you endless happiness.

It was a beautiful ceremony connecting two extraordinarily happy people and their blended families.   

Hasta Luego

Lynda, Lawrie, and Sparky

Isla Mujeres Mystery series

Grab your copy today!